New Alternatives to the Thermal WIMP Paradigm

Increasingly strong experimental constraints on new physics at the weak scale motivate us to explore alternatives to the conventional weakly-interacting massive particle (WIMP) paradigm. Two relevant approaches are to seek new mechanisms for the production of DM at masses below 1 GeV or above 1 TeV in existing DM models, and to explore new models in which interactions between the DM and Standard Model (SM) states are mediated by additional particles. I will present two such possibilities for the DM. First, I will show that by fully exploring the parameter space of a simple, weakly-coupled dark sector, we can find a rich set of novel pathways which lead to the observed relic density of the DM. In particular, in the context of a vector-portal DM model, I will characterize a general class of mechanisms in which the DM relic abundance is determined by processes controlling the thermal coupling of the DM and SM, naturally producing light (MeV-GeV) DM and opening new windows of parameter space where experiments have not yet explored. I will then present a new model in which an axion-like-particle mediates interactions between the DM and the SM through its coupling to QCD gluons. Gluonic axion-mediated DM freeze-out and freeze-in scenarios provide targets for future experimental searches.

https://cuaieed-unam.zoom.us/j/84522794662?pwd=Z3dnT0w4ZndCM1ZoejFrSHR1eks0Zz09

Meeting ID: 845 2279 4662
Passcode: 520448